STANFORD, Calif - There was a strange sight midway through the third quarter at Stanford Stadium, and it had nothing to do with offense or defense.

Was that quarterback Ryan Katz getting a personal foul penalty for starting a mini-shoving match?

Yep.

Katz, the sophomore who was harassed by the Stanford defensive line all game, got fed up when tailback Jacquizz Rodgers rushed for no gain and appeared to be hit after the play had been blown dead.

"Some guy was on top of Quizz, whistle blown," said Katz, who went over and tried to push the defender off Rodgers. "We're not going to stand for stuff like that anymore."

Katz's reaction started a small shoving match among OSU and Stanford players, and both Katz and Cardinal cornerback Michael Thomas were assessed offsetting personal foul penalties.

Rodgers multiple late hits this season, the worst of which was probably when Washington State linebacker C.J. Mizell picked up Rodgers and practically tossed him onto the pavement at Reser Stadium. OSU players were criticized after that game for not standing up for their star.

Saturday at Stanford Rodgers wasn't sure exactly how it started, but he appreciated that Katz got in the mix.

"Sometimes you need to do that to show your teammates that you've got their back," Rodgers said. "I felt like that, and it was a good feeling."